Big Trouble in Little Magnimar
by Vlad509
Summary: This is a little story I wrote, explaining what my character was doing one session I missed. This runs tangentially to Rise of the Runelords. Ialla-raug returns home to help an old friend with a corrupt official's evil plot.
1. Chapter 1

It was dark, but that was not surprising considering the time of day. Despite that, there was still the dim light of the celestial bodies to light the way. The ruins themselves were labyrinthine, but still rather open. Most of the walls and structure had long since crumpled to a pathetic state, and looters and adventurers had long since ransacked these ruins.

But that was not why Ialla-raug was here. He gingerly stepped further into the ruins, cradling his crossbow in hand. He walked into what seemed to be a courtyard of sorts, with benches around a center mural. He leaned down to look at the mural, and saw the a faded symbol he didn't recognize at first, though he was working on expanding his knowledge base.

He stood back up, and his muscles tightened. And then something slammed into him, and knocked him into a crumbling wall. His crossbow went flying, and so did his hat. He wasn't sure which he was more upset about. His assailant walked over and grabbed Ialla-raug's vest, and pushed him against the wall.

"I am going to crush you elf!" the attacker roared, revealing himself to be a half-orc.

"I am Ialla-raug, the demon caller, and I'm not an elf!" The half-orc just growled, and raised his ax. Ialla raised a free hand, and arcane energy whirled about it, and then a blast of acid shot out and splattered the half-orc in the face. He roared in pain and staggered back. "Might be an improvement. And I'm a half-elf."

"I'm going to cleave your skull apart, half-elf or not."

"Maybe so, but you might want to look behind you first."

"I don't know you've heard, but half-orcs are not stupid."

"Suit yourself." The half-orc raised his ax, infuriated at the half-elf standing nonchalantly before him. And then he heard a noise behind him, and felt a presence. The last thing the half-orc saw a the shadow of teeth closing in on him. The headless half-orc toppled to the ground. Shadow spit the head out out, and turned to Ialla.

"You seem to be alive."

"I am. Thanks for caring...I think we have more company." Another half-orc, followed by a half-elf charged from the dark ruins at them. The half-orc wielded a halberd, and charged right at Ialla, with great fury. The half-elf raised a rapier, and then whispered something. The rapier was bathed in arcane light. And then the magus charged at Shadow.

The half-orc's first swing glanced off, or more like caught the edge of Ialla-raug's leather armor, and sent him off balance. Ialla fell backwards, and landed with a thump. The assailant raised his halberd, and brought it down. Ialla rolled backwards, and the weapon slammed into the dirt. Ialla came up facing the half-orc, and raised one hand. Arcane energy whirled about his hand.

"Losta..." The half-orc's face became confused as Ialla spoke, and he stood there, hands around the halberd, still lodged in the ground. Ialla-raug stood up and walked to where his hat had fell, and placed it back on his head. "Now, that's better." He took another step and picked up his crossbow. "And right about now, you should be coming around."

Ialla-raug turned just as the half-orc regained his senses, and turned to charge him with an animialistic roar. He pulled the trigger on his crossbow, and smiled at the satisfying twang. The bolt flew the few meters between them, and embedded itself right in the half-orc's chest, punching right through the hide armor. The thug looked stunned for a moment, its polearm still raised over its head, and then toppled backwards.

"...Barbarians..." muttered Ialla-raug. "You finished with that magus yet Dae?" the half-elf called, turning in the direction of his Eidolon. A slim arm with a remnant of cloth and leather armor plopped on the ground in front of him ten meters away or so. "I guess that's a yes."

"Half-elves tastes bad you know. It's why I haven't eaten you yet."

"Are all Eidolons as disagreeable as you?"

"Oh, I'm quite the friendly gentlemen on my plane."

"Its true what they say, that a summoner and his Eidolon became similar. We both have the same sense of humor, and it isn't funny."

"We have more company." Dae growled, waving a clawed hand deeper into the ruin. Several more figures burst forward, led by an elf, whose eyes glowed with arcane energy, wearing tattered robes over a chain shirt. He was accompanied by a dwarf and two humans, all wielding weapons, and being close to the ugliest specimens of their respective species Ialla had seen before, which was saying something.

"There they are...get them!" yelled the elf, his voice abnormally high pitched, making the command rather not intimidating or commanding. His companions were not impressed either, but charged forward to attack nonetheless. The two humans charged at Shadow, who had slightly less of a height advantage on them. The dwarf decided to charge Ialla, rather than face something nearly three times his height.

He swung his ax with a yell, but Ialla dodged out of the way, and punch the dwarf in the back of the head with his spiked gauntlet. The dwarf swung his shield around behind him, and caught Ialla in the chest, sending him staggering back. He gasped for breath, but managed to step back, out of the arc of the dwarf's next swing. The dwarf swung again, and managed to slash part of Ialla's coat.

"Now, there's no need to take your anger out on my cloak." Then he punched the dwarf in the face. The metal gauntlet slammed into the nose piece of the helmet, breaking the dwarf's nose in a splatter of blood, though not for the first time. The dwarf staggered back. "Tell me if you heard this one before..." Ialla paused for a moment, as the dwarf spit out some blood, and then advanced towards Ialla, shield raised, with a bit more caution. "I'm going to make short work of you."

"The last person who said that is dead, as you will soon be." And then a blob of acid cught the top of his shield, and splattered across his face and shoulders, wisps of smoke raising everywhere it touched. He charged and swung, missing again. Ialla stepped back, and raised his hands again. The dwarf raised his ax, but before he could swing again, acid splattered down his arm. He dropped his ax as burning pain engulfed his bare hand.

"Make sure you can back up your threats." Ialla stepped up and let loose one more punch, and the dwarf toppled to the ground. Ialla looked up to see how Shadow was doing. He hadn't been focusing on their mental link, but when he stopped for a moment, he could tell Dae was in trouble.

The first human to attack shadow missed, his two-handed sword barely swishing pass. Shadow blocked his second swing with a clawed hand, and slashed out with the other, catching the thug on the shoulder. The other attacker charged in from the side, and landed a solid punch with a spiked gauntlet, but his second strike glanced off the Eidolon's thick hide.

The first assailant swung his sword low, and caught his hulking opponent in the leg, unleashing a grunt of pain. Shadow opened his mouth, which expanded into a terrifying maw of fangs, but the teeth bit down on empty air. His first claw strike glanced off the swordsman's breastplate, but the second sent the spike-fisted brawler staggering back.

Shadow and the swordsman stepped back from each other, and took a moment to plan there next strike. At the same moment, the two shot forward. Shadow's claw swiped over his opponent's head, but his opponents sword slashed into his side. The other opponent began to rise to his feet. At about this time, Ialla finished his fight, and turned to help Shadow out.

Ialla unleashed some of his arcane power with a whisper in elvish, and a burst of arcane power coursed through the Eidolon. Shadow struck out, and missed completely, staggering forward and crashing into a crumbling wall, setting a few more chucks loose.

Ialla winced as Shadow's mental reply went through his brain. "Get the wizard, and stop trying to help me."

"Fine, you were doing so well anyway." Shadow just sent back a mental growl. Ialla turned to face the elf, who was standing smugly on a crumbling platform,where once had most likely been chairs for the nobility of whatever this ruin had once been.

"So, now, we see who is the better master of the arcane," the elf said, drawing himself to his full height. "Won't be much of a contest I think." And he raised his arms, and arcane power began to swirl about them. And then, with a shout, he unleashed a white bolt of energy.

Ialla side-stepped the bolt, which hit a wall, leaving a frozen chunk of ice. He raised his crossbow and fired back, but the bolt only nicked the sorcerer's arm, but it did draw some blood. The elf actually shrieked, and sent a blob of acid flying back, which Ialla dodged, but wasn't able to reload his crossbow.

"I am going to end you, you pathetic mage."

"I'm not an enemy you want, you hired thug."

"Try and dodge this, you impudent half-breed." The elf prepared to cast another spell. Ialla just smiled. There was a faint sound of a cork popping in the darkness beyond the sorcerer.

"You're in trouble now."

"No, you are...Magic..." The elf was cut off was a figure bolted from the shadows, and a slim blade slashed through his neck. His head rolled off and landed in front of Ialla. For a moment, his body remained upright, and then the spell fizzled out, and the body toppled to the ground with a touch of drama.

During the little wizarding duel, Shadow continued to tussle with the other two thugs. The swordsman tried to take advantage of Shadow's unfortunate tumble, and charged in. Shadow let the sword bounce off his armored hide, and then slashed one arm with his claw, and then leaned in. The swordsman visibly paled as the Eidolon's glowing eyes filled his vision. And then the savage fangs bit deep into his shoulder.

Shadow lifted the swordsman and threw him across the courtyard, where he rolled to a stop at the feet of the newcomer. The remaining thug charged in, and sent one armored hand slamming into the side of the massive Eidolon, but it didn't seem to do any damage. Shadow smiled, which was not a pleasant thing to behold, and then swung his clawed arm. The thug looked up, realizing just how outmatched he was. And then massive claws, crackling with arcane power, ripped his arm off.

The last living assailant tried to get to his feet, likely to run, but the newcomer drover her sword through his undamaged shoulder, pinning him to the ground. "You don't get to leave yet. I have a few questions."

"I'm not answering any questions...until you heal me."

"Your not in a position to bargain." She leaned down, and bared her mouth, revealing two small fangs. Then she reached under his shirt and pulled out a small medallion, and looked at the insignia. "Interesting."

"Do you recognize the symbol then?" asked Ialla.

"A newer group of mercenaries around. The completely amoral and ruthless type." She turned back to the thug. "So, who hired you?"

"The never betray our clients."

"Oh, I know you do, but only for money."

"Heal me, and I'll tell you everything." The woman looked at him a bit longer, and then shook her head.

"You're lying. I don't have time for this." She removed the sword from his shoulder, and walked over to the fallen elf, and wiped the blade. She then slid the blade back into the cane, and locked it in place. "Glad you could make it. Still going by Ialla-raug?"

"I am. I assume you didn't know about the ambush?"

"Of course not, but I was afraid something might happen." She stopped and turned to Ialla. "Do you know any healing or stabilizing spells?"

"I'm afraid not," the summoner answered.

"Me neither." Cilva began walking out of the ruins, towards the city. "I'm glad you replied so quickly. I may be a bit in over my head."

"Just a little," Ialla said, waving his hand over the multiple corpses. Shadow approached the two, and stood solemnly beside them.

"Hello Dae. Your claws have gotten bigger, and your hide is much thicker."

"Hello Cilva," the Eidolon growled. He looked between the two. "What, no hello kiss?"

"Sorry Dae, extra-planar entities aren't my type," the woman responded. The Eidolon just growled a little. Ialla shot him a mental reprimand. "Let's go. I want you to come with me to meet one of my clients. I have been hired by two different people, a member of the Council of Ushers, and an independent merchant, to investigate another member of the council."

"Oh? Is Magnimar still corrupt?" Ialla added sarcastically. Cilva rolled her eyes, and then twisted one finger in her brown hair. "So, why have you been hired, detective?"

"Well, the possibility of undead, necromancy, and illegal power grabs. And of course the Lord-Mayor can't be bothered, as the noble in question has been very generous."

"Or course."

"Come on, let's hurry. We need to get there and finished before the sun rises."

"Right, it gives you a bad rash." Cilva smacked the half-elf lightly on the arm. Inside Ialla's head, Shadow gave him a mental smirk. "We are getting near the city. I don't want to cause any problems with the guard." He raised his arms, and with a flash and a wumpf, and the massive Eidolon was gone.

"You'll have to tell me about your adventures when we have a chance, but right now, lets hurry and get to the gate." Ialla nodded, and the half-elf and dhampir dashed off across the dark land towards the still glowing city ahead, a massive cliff face and ancient bridge dominating its skyline.

The two entered the city through a small gate in the wall. Its purpose was to allow people to leave the city during a siege, but it was used mostly by the unsavory, and those who hunt them. Ialla-raug and Cilva had used them many times in their work. They slipped in, and headed though the lower class area of Lowcleft, and then up to the Summit, the higher class area of the city, particularly the district of Naos, and into the neighborhood of Grand Arch.

Grand Arch was one of the nicer districts, though it was looked down on by the older families in the city. A good many wealthy merchants made their home here, leaving many houses empty most of the year. The streets were largely empty, save for a few patrols, and a few servants. Cilva lead Ialla on a rather winding path, keeping to the back alleys, avoiding patrols, while still appearing nonchalant to the servants. They weren't criminals, but Cilva especially didn't want to have to deal with the guards.

They had been walking for nearly half and hour, in the city itself, before Ialla finally spoke. They had nearly reached the Alabaster district to the north. The city had not changed much, but Ialla's memory was beginning to fade, and Cilva's erratic path further confused him.

"Cilva, I still remember most of Magnimar's layout." He waved his arm around at the various houses. "Who exactly is your client?"

"A wealthy merchant, though not the wealthiest, and connected to some important families."

"Does this client prefer to remain anonymous? You do know who hired you, right?"  
"Yes, of course. And we are almost there."

"Really? My mother hired you?" Cilva just huffed, and turned away and hurried up the street, swinging her cane about. Ialla hurried after her, finally catching up a few blocks up, at a rather nondescript door. "Well, sorry to guess the surprise."


	2. Chapter 2

"No, no you're not. I'm not easy to fool." She knocked softly on the door. "Your mother said I could use the front door, but I prefer discretion."

"A wise decision." The door swung open after only a few moments, revealing a young woman in a nice dress. A slight look of disgust flashed briefly across her face when she saw Cilva, but she stepped back to open the door anyway. And then she saw Ialla standing behind the dhampir.

"Master Acron...I did not expect you. Please come in." She bowed, and stepped out of the way.

"No need to be too formal Selene." He removed his hat and coat and handed it to the maid. She nodded and then turned to Cilva. Cilva handed the maid her cape.

"I'll keep my cane with me, if you don't mind," Cilva said, and she turned to go into the next room of the house.

"Can you take this, and put it somewhere safe?" Ialla handed his crossbow to Selene.

"Of course Master Acron. I will put it in the old usual location."

"Thank you." Selene took the crossbow in her free hand, and turned to go down another hallway, but suddenly stopped.

"Well, looked what the wind blew in...the Pathfinder Society headquarters are in the Alabaster District, further north."

"I'm not a member of the Pathfinder Society yet mother. If you really wanted me to visit, you should have just asked. No need to hire an investigator and concoct some plot to get me to come around."

Lady Camylla Silanus-Kaddren was a rather commanding presence, despite a rather average height. She had a stern face, and a few streaks of gray in her dark hair, and a dress both fancy and comfortable, which was quite a feat in and of itself. She smiled, and stepped forward and embraced her son.

"Our family was never very normal, Acron. Or should I call you Ialla."

"As my mother, you can call me what you want." Ialla stepped away from his mother, and then looked at Cilva. "That's an odd look Cilva."

"I just realized you and your mother are wearing the same colors."

"Cilva...they are just the best colors," Lady Camylla answered. "Let's go into the parlour. Myra has made some tea, and probably something else. We can discuss the case, and catch up a little. Your letter writing is nice Acron, but it's a little vague." Ialla just sighed, and followed his mother into the next room.

The three of them took seats around a slow burning fire. Ialla began to unlatch his gauntlet, when he was interrupted. Selene returned from putting up the coats, and reach out to take the gauntlet. "Allow me to clean that for you."

"Uh, thank you..."

"When your finished with that Selene, could you finish the cleaning?"

"Of course Lady Camylla." Selene bowed slightly and slipped out of the room. About that time, a tall woman entered, almost looking gaunt, with long red hair, and pointed ears. She set down two large trays, which she had balanced expertly, on a table in between the chairs. She prepared one cup of tea, and handed it to Lady Camylla, and then turned to Cilva.

"Tea?" she said in a very proper tone, her elven accent still prevalent.

"Yes, no sugar or creamer." The elf nodded, and handed Cilva a cup of tea.

"Master Acron, it is good to see you," she said, her tone still very formal, but Ialla could tell she truly was. "Tea?"

"Yes, same as before. Good to see you too Myra." The elf nodded, and added an abnormally high amount of creamer to the tea, and some sugar. The elf had been in the employ of the family since, well, before Camylla had even married her former elven husband, having been his nanny and bodyguard, and then remained with his widow, even when moving from Greengold all the way to Magnimar. As an elf, despite being around for Ialla's nearly thirty year life, she hadn't seemed to age at all.

Ialla took the tea, and then an offered pastry, before sitting back in the comfortable chair. Cilva shifted uncomfortably, and then crossed and uncrossed her legs. She tentatively took a bite of a pastry, and stopped.

"These are really good."

"Well, they aren't as good as the last batch, but I had to substitute a few ingredients. They are one of the most popular things on our caravans."

"I didn't realize you made pastries Lady Camylla," the dhampir said, trying not to sound too surprised.

"Just one of my many talents. Shall we get down to business first, before Acron regales us with stories from his travels." As she said this Myra stepped away from the table, and stood behind Lady Camylla, staring in the distance, stone-faced.

"I suppose we should. Lord Cambert, recently elected to the Council of Ushers, new blood to the city, arrived a few years after your family, but before you moved here from Greengold, is the person of interest."

"So, only recently have they gotten involved in political affairs?" questioned Ialla.

"Well, they've been involved for some time, though not in any cases from our previous partnership."

"There are few families who aren't involved in some way. Personally, I would rather just support members on the council, rather than become involved directly," Lady Camylla added. "However, I hired Cilva because of some recent concerns I uncovered involving overland merchant travel."

"Another client, who is a member of the council, also hired me, a few days before your mother. He wishes to remain anonymous. I have my suspicions, but even I don't know for sure who it is. He wanted me to find out what sort of political maneuvering Cambert was doing, in order to form a coalition in the Council. He also threw out a few, what I thought were baseless, accusations of smuggling."

"And they aren't baseless now..." Ialla said, shifting in his seat and taking another pastry, "...because of something you found out, Lady Camylla."

"Indeed, Master Acron." Ialla's mother set her tea cup down, and Myra began to fill it up again. "Some of the merchants work together, forming larger united caravans for the more dangerous overland travel. Lord Cambert is one of those, as our both the Silanus and Kaddren families. One of the adventurers we hired, a sorcerer was examining some magical artifacts, nothing too powerful, just some wands and amulets, when one of the wands reacted oddly. We believed the wand to be designed to detect pastries, but it apparently had been mislabeled, and was actually a detect undead."

"Using a wand to detect undead...how funny," remarked Cilva.

"Not everyone can do it naturally. I don't know that spell. I'm guessing it isn't that simple."

"Well, never buy magic items in bulk from Korvosa. Most of the items were either faulty or useless. And, the Cambert's did everything to cover up the incident. The adventurers hired to guard the caravan, including the sorcerer, have already moved on. The Cambert's did have some suspicious crates, but they were warded."

"So, you think they may be smuggling in undead?" Ialla asked, then sipping his second cup of tea.

"Perhaps. Which is why I hired Cilva."

"Yes, your friendly neighborhood dhampir," Cilva said. "So, tomorrow, we will have a look in some of Cambert's warehouses."

"You're neither from this neighborhood, nor particularly friendly." Ialla said. Cilva just rolled her eyes. Ialla was about to say something, when he stopped and looked around. "Whose playing that overly joyful flute music? It doesn't match the tone of our conversation."

"That would be your cousin Sebastian."  
"That fop...what's he doing here?"

"Be nice dear. He is here practicing for the party tomorrow."

"Party tomorrow...?"

"Yes Acron. The Silanus family is hosting a party, along with the Kaddren's, for some of the merchants and nobles of Magnimar. I thought it might be a good way to find out more from Lord Cambert, but I couldn't go myself."

"Well, Cilva, you're quite devious. So you want me to try to find out," Ialla sighed.

"Not alone," Lady Camylla added. "Myra, Selene, and I will be around to help out, if we can. And don't worry. Those who were upset with you last time won't be there."

"You know, I don't mind social gatherings much, except they have people there," Ialla mused.

"That is the problem isn't it." Myra said flatly, still not showing expression. Ialla just nodded. He picked up another pastry and took a bite. Cilva shifted her cane and took another one as well. Lady Camylla reached over to the table next to her and picked up a letter.

"After much study, I managed to decipher this letter, and get a general idea of the most recent developments. So, how is the adventuring?"

"To be honest, after nearly a year of wandering about, with limited excitement here and there, taking down the odd monster and magical construct, things are becoming much more exciting."

"And you even made some friends. I'm so proud of you son." The Silanus family was known all over Magnimar for their sarcasm.

"Friends is such a strong word...business partners really."

"Well, if it isn't my long lost cousin. Did you find exotic new places to sit around alone and mope?" A young man walked in, looking even younger than his 18 years, with long blonde hair pulled back, and very colorful and fancy clothes, with a flute in his hand. But even with all that, it was the monkey with a cute little vest and hat that was the most noticeable thing about him.

"Well, I see you finally finished primping yourself, and are ready to face the day," Ialla shot back, in a very dismissive tone.

"Well, glad to see you still get along," Lady Camylla remarked. "Myra, get Sebastian some tea. Have a seat. Acron was about to tell us about his recent adventure."

"Well, I do need to practice for tomorrow, but I can spare a few moments. I can practice after the undead has gone to hide from the sun in her lair." Sebastion sat down in in a nearby chair, and carefully adjust his legs and coat, then took the offered tea cup. He reached out and daintily took a pastry, and then proceeded to feed it to his pet monkey.

"I guess you can pick your friends, you can pick your spells, but you can't pick your family," Cilva whispered to Ialla. Everyone could hear it, except Sebastian, who was busy feeding his monkey.

"Fortunately, he isn't related by blood," Ialla answered. He had to admit the monkey was cute, at least in his head. He would never say that out loud. But the way his cousin was acting with the monkey made him want to punch him (Sebastion, not the monkey).

"Well, so, Sandpoint...the mayor is a Deverin right?" Lady Camylla asked.

"Yes. After traveling a bit, I was a bit short on cash, despite dealing with a few small contracts here and there. So, I offered my services to Mayor Deverin, and was hired easily, no doubt due to your introduction letter mother, " Ialla began. "Since the threat was likely a dragon, though a very small one, several other adventurers were hired on as well."

Ialla spent the next hour or so explaining his past adventurers, in the past month or so, from the dragon fight, to the catacombs beneath the city, and a few other anecdotes as well. Even Sebastion seemed rather interested, which surprised Ialla a little. Part of the way through, he realized Selene was standing behind him, listening rather intently.

Though it may not initially appear so, Ialla had a rather magnetic personality. He kept his social skills buried deep, but they were there. He had a force or personality, though it was mostly focused on fear and intimidation, rather than the a gentle or diplomatic approach. He nonetheless proved to be a pretty good story teller, with liberal use of sarcasm and irony to liven it up. Even the monkey seemed interested, though that may have been the treats he was being fed.

"...and then he said, 'his throat was slit." At that, everyone in the room laughed, except Myra, but she smiled slightly, so it counts.

"And what were you doing at this time?

"Searching the bodies for clues."

"How did she react?"

"I think she was a little surprised, but Aasimars have a near magical ability in relating to others. The best part was when the magus full on slapped him after that slip of the tongue. It was very satisfying."

"So you don't like this cavalier then?" asked Cilva

"I don't like any of them. But you know how people like that annoy me in general."

"People who aren't pychopathic loners? People with better natural looks and hair than you?" asked Sebastion.

"Men with more luscious hair than Selene." Selene let out a little gasp of shock, but didn't say anything, as it wasn't her place. "No, straight-laced do-gooders. Though, to be honest, his hearts in the right place, but his sword rarely is."

"So, why are you still working with them?" his mother asked.

"Ah, I'm going to follow this path to the end, and stop this plot. Besides, it's starting to get intriguing. Sometimes, you can't pick your party members."

"Speaking of parties, I need to finish preparing. This flute isn't going to play itself. Though, I've heard of flutes that can. Anyway, try not to let your glumness spoil the soiree tomorrow, Cousin Acron."

"Why, there's about ten hours till the party. Better start perfuming you hair now."

"Come one Wukong," Sensation said to his monkey. "Acron needs to go be depressed in his room for awhile." Sebastion got up and walked out with a flourish. In a short while, flute music began to drift in from the other, rather good music in fact.

"I'm really glad you decided to come and help out on this case. It was good to see you in person."

"Always happy to come home mother." The remaining three who were sitting got up. Myra picked up all the tea cups and plates, and arranged them on the larger trays, and then took them out. As Lady Camylla stood up, she knocked something off a nearby table. Cilva leaned over and picked it up.

"Is this a magic wand? The one that detected undead on the caravan?"

"Unfortunately, no. It is one of the ones that detects pastries. Works pretty well in fact."

"I can do that without a wand," commented Ialla.

"Really? You took the time to learn a spell to detect pastries?" asked Cilva.

"Well, it can't detect all pastries...just...muffins actually." The last few words were said rather quiety.

"Sounds very useful...I bet that has come in handy a lot," the dhampir commented.

"Not at all, but I hope someday it plays an important role. Wasn't hard to learn, so why not. I do like muffins."  
"I haven't made muffins lately," mused Lady Camylla. Maybe I will sometime soon. I'm going to retire for the morning."

"And I need to go back and hide in my lair before the sun rises. See you after the party, when the sun sets. We]ll meet here." Ialla nodded. Selene got Cilva's coat, and escorted him to the door.  
She returned shortly, and stopped in front of Ialla. "Master Acron, I have prepared your old room, and placed your weapons there, cleaned of course."

"Thank you." Ialla and Selene walked to his old room. She opened the door, and showed him the weapon rack above the dresser. "It looks excellent." Selene smiled and bowed.

"I laid out some clothes for the party tomorrow, in your favorite colors of course." She opened the closet door to reveal a red and black formal outfit, of very high quality, but simple in design. "Your mother insisted on you wearing it."

"That won't be a problem. Selene, I was just joking about the hair."

"I know sir, but your probably right. Sebastian does have nicer hair than me." She reached up and twirled a few strands of hair.

"Its just because he takes more time to oil it." Selene chuckled at that remark.

"I must finished up some cleaning, and then get some rest before the party."

"Of course."

"Master Acron, before you leave again..."

"Yes..."

"Can you summon a hawk for me. I've always wanted to see one close up."

"I think I can handle that."

"Thank you sir." She bowed once more, and then left the room, closing the door behind her. Selene had been hired a few years before Ialla had had to leave Magnimar, shortly before he began working with Cilva. She was from a poor family, with little future ahead of her. She would mostly likely end up in a rather unsavory job. However, when she asked if the Silanus family could use a maid, Lady Camylla accepted. It had been a decision neither party regretted.

Ialla summoned Shadow, healed him, and brought him up to date on the current mission. If you have ever seen a inter-planar entity of justice gloat, well, you wouldn't easily forget it.

After Shadow was done rubbing in the fact he didn't have to attend the party, and had returned home, Ialla retired for the night. He thought about reading some more before bed, but decided the extra rest was more important.


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning, admittedly a rather late morning, Ialla was wandering the halls of his old home. He had been up rather late. He felt refreshed, and had to admit the clothes for the party were definitely his style, and he could even fit his leather armor under them. It was a little unnerving to be around someone who knew him so well, it being his mother regardless.

He stopped at one particular shelf, and reached out and retrieved a jar on the shelf. Inside, there was a preserved body of some sort. After several minutes of examination, he was pretty sure he knew what it was, and he was also pretty sure someone was behind him.

"Mother, is this really a dragon?"

"It was a very small one, not unlike the one you fought. And I didn't actually kill it myself. You were around, but this was in Greengold."

"Impressive."

"It is my most impressive specimen." Lady Camylla reached up and turned her son around, and gave him a once over. "Well, you appear to be ready for the party."

"In appearance maybe."

"Oh, you'll be fine. It's too bad about the Kaijitsu family. Did you talk to the daughter, Amiko, was it?"

"I gave her her father's keys, which I found on his body."

"And how did it go?"

"Awkward...better than the other talk. I'm not goof at being empathetic."

"You could be, but you would rather be scary."

"I'm very good at it."

"You should talk to her again. You actually can be empathetic...it isn't the same thing, I know, but losing a father tragically, no matter the age, is a similar experience."

"Perhaps, when I return, I'll talk to her again, and have a real heart to heart."

"Uh huh. Acron, do try it." Lady Camylla turned and walked towards another room. "The party is in the main hall, on the second level. Do be on time."

"Is there any breakfast around?" Ialla called after her.

"There's some muffins in the sitting room." Ialla nodded and headed back into the room from last night. There was a fire, but it was rather low, casting very little light. Most of the light was provided by glowing stones ornately mounted here and there. He gave the room a cursory examination, but didn't see any muffins about. He raised one hand, and let a little glimmer of arcane energy swirl about his hand. A small speck of glowing light, like a firefly, shot out and struck a small table off to the side with a small cover on it.

"Ah, there you are." Ialla walked over and lifted the cover, revealing a platter of orange muffins. "Interesting..." He picked one up and examined it, and then took a bite. He raised one eyebrow.

"Unique aren't they?" Ialla nearly choked as the voice seemed to materialize right next to him. Myra was standing just a few feet behind him. "Lady Camylla had some left over oranges from a shipment, and decided to make muffins."

After Ialla had managed to swallow the bite he was chewy, and get it down the right tube, he answered. "Not sure citrus is the best taste for a muffin, but it isn't bad. It would be better if I didn't get a startled while eating it."

"The look of shock on your face was rather entertaining Master Acron," Myra replied. "I have other matters to attend to." Myra picked up a muffin and left the room. Ialla smiled, and finished his muffin. He picked up another and ate it, wandering about the room, examining wide collection of artifacts from all over Golarion. Though there were some Thassilonian relics, unsurprisingly, there was nothing of interest to the current so-called Runelords. After finishing the muffin, he headed over to the spiral staircase leading to the main upper dining room.

Upstairs, it seemed much cheerier. Ialla didn't mind the darker lower level, but some might have found it depressing. Here, sunlight streamed in from several windows, and the house's main door opened up at street level. The main dining room was large, designed to hold gatherings, as any good merchant family who wanted any sort of pull in Magnimar.

Selene was bustling about, putting the final touches on the decorations. Ialla guessed they were nice, but wasn't particularly fond of such extravagance. He certainly didn't miss all the expectations of high society. There was also the sound of flute music drifting across the room. The source of which was Sebastian, standing in the corner, playing away enthusiastically. His pet monkey was sitting nearby chattering away, but not causing a ruckus.

Sebastian cast a look at Ialla, acknowledging he had entered the room, but without interrupting his practice. It certainly wasn't a friendly look. He was dressed in an absolutely gaudy manner, though Ialla's trained eye was pretty sure he had leather armor on beneath his clothes. He wasn't the only one.

"Master Acron, good morning."

"Good morning Selene. How are the decorations coming?"

"Well enough...what do you think?"

"Oh, well enough." Ialla tugged a bit on his collar.

"Are you uncomfortable?"

"This is not really my style...I prefer running about dark streets and dungeons killing fiends and magical beasts."

"Well, I think your outfit looks good on you..." Selene paused awkwardly. "...I should get back to work."

"It looks very nice. It will certainly impress all those stuffy nobles." Selene smiled a bit, and began to walk away. "One more thing." Selene stopped and turned. "I think your outfit looks good on you too." Selene blushed and hurried away. Ialla walked around the room, taking note of the arrangement of everything.

It was a bit of a subconscious act, but his observations had a purpose. He expected a fight. He rested his hand on his hip, under his cloak, and felt his gauntlet. Unfortunately, he couldn't bring his crossbow. At least the food would be good. It hadn't all been prepared by the Silanus family staff, but the smells alone were intoxicating.

Ialla nervous pacing did not go unnoticed. He turned around and jumped a little to find Myra standing impassively behind him. "After twenty-nine years, and the look of shock on your face never grows old." A slight smile flitted across the elf's face.

"I'm glad you gain so much enjoyment from sneaking up on me. I am getting better. You may not be able to so easily in the future."

"Perhaps. Oh, and I assure you, there will be plenty of security. I chose the guards myself." About then, the main door of the room swung open. "It appears the party is beginning." Myra stepped away and slipped into the room. Ialla turned around and with a sigh, decided to try to be sociable.

Most of the guests were nobles and merchants of Magnimar, and perhaps a few members of the guard. And, several members of the council, including of course Lord Cambert. Despite his reluctance and lack of interest in high society, Ialla had been raised as a noble, and proved to be more charming than his normal demeanor would indicate.

Sebastian was surrounded by young woman for most of the party, as far as Ialla could tell. He seemed to be regaling them with stories, though Ialla couldn't imagine what stories he would have to tell. He also played his flute a bit, and his pet monkey seemed to be getting and enjoying nearly as much attention as his master.

Ialla spent much of the first part dealing with everyone making small talk about his coming back, and how nice it was to see him, all politely avoiding the reason for his departure, if they were aware. Some of it was spent with his mother, but after a little while, Lady Camylla's conversations turned to business, which was quite frankly incredibly boring.

He wandered over to the main table to get some more food. As he was standing there, Selene slipped up behind him carrying a tray of food. After offering him some caviar, which Ialla took, she pointed out Lord Cambert. He was a middle-aged man , with dark hair, only barely traced with gray, and of reasonable physical condition. He drifted about the room, talking to this noble and that, like a true politician.

After getting some food, Ialla drifted off to the side of the room to continue observing. Most of the party guests were talking and eating. Any bits of conversation he caught were business related, or high society gossip. Sebastian had part of the room cleared, and a few people started dancing, mostly younger people. He himself provided the accompaniment, and even managed to dance a bit at the same time. Wukong certainly was having fun.

As he was waiting there, one party guest caught his attention. The reason she caught his attention was she was the only person regarding the dancing with the same level as disdain as he was. She was most likely younger than him, with blonde hair braided about her head and also into a braided bun. She was wearing a nice tunic, with leggings and boots, also impeccable. She was one of the few women, besides a couple of the guards, not wearing a fancy dress, though she was by no means dressing down compared to the others. Hanging around her neck was a medallion emblazoned with a white sword, symbol of Iomedae.

Several moments after staring disapprovingly at the dancer, the young woman wandered over to Ialla. "Hello, you are Master Silanus, correct?" she asked, with a touch of an Absalom accent.

"I am. Welcome to the party. I can see you are someone who enjoys social gatherings."

"I don't mind parties, but some of the people here get on my nerves."

"Well, you'll find no disagreement here. Is there a particular reason you are here? That may sound rude, but clerics and paladin don't normally attend these high society parties, though I don't really know who my mother invited."

"Considering this was a party specifically for business purposes, I wouldn't normally be here, but I was assigned to protect Lord Cambert by the Council." Ialla certainly perked up at that, which the girl noticed. "I don't particularly like him, but he received death threats. A paladin does what she is told, within reason of course."

"Yes, that is your problem Paladin...?" She was about to answer with either her name or a rebuttal, when there was an explosion. A shower of glass rained from the ceiling, and a couple of black clothed assassins dropped with it. This spectacular entrance, as intended, caused mass panic. The paladin turned in shock. Ialla reached down and slid his hand into his gauntlet.

"Lord Cambert..." The paladin turned to rush towards the center of the room. As the commotion occurred, the few guards rushed in. A couple had been at the door, and a few more had been standing at the edges of the room. One of them ran up towards Ialla and the paladin, presumably to ensure Master Acron was safe. And then he stabbed the paladin in the back with a glowing blue blade.

She staggered forward, nearly falling into Ialla's arms. He quickly shoved her out of the way, and charged forward, swinging his now gauntlet-covered hand. The fake guard was rather shocked when the gauntlet crashed into him, though it didn't hurt him much. The assassin struck back, but Ialla stepped out of the way, and swung back, landing a much more solid hit.

The paladin, leaning against the wall, and not looking very well, managed to pull a dagger from her boot, and struggled to her feet. She lurched forward and took a swing, but it went wide. "Stay out of the way, you look sick," Ialla shouted at the paladin. He raised his hand and fired a glob of acid right into the face of the attacker, who yelped in pain and staggered back.

"I can handle myself," she called back, burying her knife in the assassin's chest. He stabbed her back with his strange blade, and she gasped in pain. Ialla stepped up and punched the assassin in the face, dropping him to the ground.

"Usually, I would agree, but I think that blade was rather poisoned, and you're without your armor and weapons." He helped her to her feet, and led her over to the wall.

"I took precautions...uhhh." She lurched forward a bit, looking rather ill. "Please watch Lord Cambert." To her credit, she managed to remain standing, but was in no shape to fight.

"Oh, I intend to," Ialla said to himself, hurrying away. He took a moment to get a read on the situation in the room. It was rather hard to tell what was happening. He did notice one of the black clothed assassins charge at Lord Cambert, only to have a rather strong looking man step up and land several punches, sending the assassin reeling back in shock. As Ialla suspected, Lord Cambert was in no real danger.

And then a socialite nearly crashed into him. Another assassin was standing behind, a small crossbow in his hand. Ialla pushed the socialite to away, where she fell to the ground, and began crawling a way, skittering like a bug and whimpering. The first bolt went wide, and Ialla raised his arms and whispered in elvish, and there was a flash arcane light. He then walked up and punched him with his gauntlet. The assassin staggered back and crashed into a table of food.

Beyond, someone dressed as a party guest, or more likely a servant of a party guest, was busy assaulting a high ranking noble. Ialla had been introduced previously, but couldn't recall his name. Ialla raised his hands once more, and unleashed another spell. A tray from the table flipped up, sending caviar and rice into the face of the disguised attacker. He spun around and swung a dagger at the half-elf. Ialla dodged and struck back, landing only a glancing blow.

The other assassin Ialla had previously struck had recovered from the spell and raised his own dagger, stabbing it into Ialla's shoulder. He cried out in pain and spun around. The assassin stepped back, his dagger raised, dripping with some of Ialla's blood. The summoner raised his arms and a flash of light appeared beside the the assassin. An insect of abnormal size emerged wreathed in dark fire and smelling of brimstone, skittering on a mass of legs.

It lunged forward and bit the assassin on the arm with a savage hiss. Ialla spun around turned to face the other assailant, only to see him raise his arm, about to plunge the dagger into the noble. And then a dagger whipped threw the air and nailed him in the arm. He yelped in pain and dropped the dagger. Myra emerged from the edge of the room, another dagger in hand. Ialla saw his friend was keeping the other assailant busy. The noble being attacked dropped to the floor and began crawling away.

Ialla punched the wounded assassin, and he fell to the ground. The assassin began trying to escape, scooting backward on his bottom. Ialla just raised his arm and fired a blob of acid, nailing him in the center of mass. The bloodied assassin slumped to the ground. Ialla was beginning to become his normal unflappable self in combat. His infernal centipede and Myra had finished off the other attacker. He also noticed Sebastian has somehow gotten hold of a rapier and was skewering another assassin with ease. And then he noticed another masked figure, still dressed like a high class servant, heading towards the paladin.

Ialla turned and fired a glob of acid, catching the figure by surprise. It turned, and then withdrew a metal cylinder from his belt. He was about to activate it, presumably, when a dagger nailed him in the shoulder, sending the cylinder rolling across the floor. Ialla put his boot down on top of it, and smiled a little. He sent a second glob of acid, which splattered across his shoulder, but his clothes seemed to take most of the damage. But another of Myra's daggers finished the job. She gave Ialla a look, and then hurried away, presumably to find Lady Camylla.

The paladin was not looking well. Ialla picked up the cylinder and tucked it away. Cilva might know what it was, having dabbled a bit in alchemy. He walked over, but the paladin looked terrified. "You summoned an infernal creature..."She stood upright of her own power, and began walking away. "You can't be trusted, clearly."

"I assure you, I'm not evil."

"Maybe not..." she was interrupted by her own gagging, some partially digested food splattering on the floor. "I'm leaving, I have my duty to attend to." She staggered away, beginning to look a little better. With the battle over, Ialla felt the pain in his shoulder. He leaned against the wall, a bit weakly, and with a flick of arcane magic sent the centipede home. He then scanned the room, and saw much chaos, but the fight, at least, was over.


	4. Chapter 4

"So, anything yet Myra?" Ialla asked, leaning up against the wall, a very common position he found himself in.

"I'm afraid not." Myra wiped one of her blades carefully on a piece of already blood stained cloth. "I believe we can do no more, at least with the current means at our disposal. I will have one of the guards covertly drop the assassin somewhere in the Shore, were he will be found quickly."

"Good," responded Lady Camylla. "I don't like this business much, but having my party crashed makes me very upset." Lady Camylla tightened her hands on the hilt of the longsword in her hand. I was a beautiful work of art, crafted with great care, and glimmering with just a slight bit of magic to make it just a but more superior. "It has been some time since I wielded the blade, but it was exhilarating."

"That assassin had no chance against you milady," Myra responded. "I must apologize for allowing us to be compromised. I was the one who hired the extra security."

"But none of our normal staff was involved?"

"No, and beside some injuries, and a nasty case of poison, which is being dealt with, they are all fine. We found the bodies of the original guards hidden in the alley, and in one of the closets. Selene was the one who found it. She isn't taking it well."

"Well, it appears it wasn't your fault at all. All those you hired were loyal to the end."

"It was my responsibility to provide security, and only a coward fails to take responsibility for her actions."

"Well, only assassins and a couple unfortunate servants died. Presumably, none of the targets perished. So, you did well. Now, take care of this nasty business. Acron, come with me to the sitting room."

"Of course Mother. Myra," he nodded to the elf, and then followed Lady Camylla down the hall. They entered into the familiar sitting room, and found seats. Lady Camylla leaned over pulled on a brass mechanism on the wall, and alchemical fire spurted into the fireplace, igniting the dry wood. Ialla retrieved some food from a plate on the table, leftovers from the spoiled party.

"I have a list from the city guard of the guests targeted. It may not mean much to you, but, including myself of course, it includes those involved with a particular bit of legislation restricting trade from Cheliax. Normally, I am all for free trade, but dangerous potions and even slaves are being smuggled in somehow. Ironically, Lord Cambert was involved in hammering out the specifics of the bill, and acting as a liaison between factions, no doubt for his own benefit...Acron, are you listening"

"Of course..." Ialla swallowed. "Of course. And the plot thickens, it would appear. By the way, this raw fish is amazing. Imported from Tian?"

"Yes, it was. I'm rather fond of it myself." She handed Ialla a sheaf of papers. He scanned down the list for a few moments, and then looked up. "I'm afraid most of these names don't mean much to me, though I remember being briefly introduced. Well, except for this Lady Camylla Silanus-Kaddren. Sounds like a real trouble maker."

"Oh, she is. Now, show that to Cilva. She no doubt will be able to make more of it."

"How were you able to convince the guard to give you this list?"

"Well, the Kaddren name has some influence, but it was mostly Sebastian that got the information. He left some time ago to tend to some social call."

"Oh, I'm sure he did." Ialla folded the papers up and slipped them into his coat. "I'll go meet Cilva when night falls, and we will get to the fun part of investigating."

"Try not to destroy too many buildings." Ialla smiled and grabbed some more food, then wandered back upstairs to the main hall, which looked much better, but still showed signs of significant chaos, most noticeably the missing skylights. Selene was calmly sweeping the floor. She looked very sad and depressed.

"Selene..." Ialla walked over to her. "Are you alright?" She stepped back, surprised.

"I...I didn't see you here."

"Sorry. You seem very worried."

"I am." She stopped sweeping and turned to face Ialla. "Not because of the attack, at least not directly. Not with Myra and Lady Camylla around. I've known you for awhile Ialla. Almost as long as you have been in Magnimar."

"That's true. I do remember when you joined us." Selene's face flushed a little, but it soon returned to a more dour mood. "You have always been a little moody, but you always did the right thing."

"I assure you, I still do."

"I sense something dark about you now, and not just your clothes. I...I saw you talking with the paladin..."

"I understand your concern. I have learned a few important things in my life, many far earlier than one should. The world is unfair, and even those in power, who claim to be forces of good and law, are often corrupt and evil. Second, there is much evil in the world, both overt and hidden, and they care little for the good. Sometimes, in order to stop them, and keep chaos back, you have to take extreme measures."

"I understand." But the way in which she said it shown she didn't like it. Ialla looked out the skylight. The horizon was already turning orange and yellow, and light was already fading.

"I have to go meet Cilva." He began walking towards the door, holding his crossbow aloft as he walked. "I know there is a chance to go to far, but I learned something else. You can't fight alone. That's why I am glad you're still here, and that I was able to see you." He opened the door. "That sounded a little overly dramatic didn't it?"

"A little...but I'm glad you said it anyway." Ialla tipped his hat a little, and then stepped out into the streets.

Ialla walked down into the bad part of town. The best thing to do was to just ignore everyone and act like you knew exactly what you were doing. This was quite easy for Ialla, as this was how he acted all the time. Underneath the Irespan, massive ancient bridge of Thassalonian origin, was the uncreatively named distinct of Underbridge, the armpit of Magnimar. It was also where Cilva made her home.

The run-down streets were filled with trash, as well as the occasional piece of litter. Ialla did not envy the city watch in this part of the city. As he walked down the streets, more of the memories of his past adventures in Magnimar began to come back. Between his departure from Magnimar, and his mission to fight the baby dragon, he had become a bit rusty. He had had no real objective, but now he had been drawn into another quest. Sadly, it meant he couldn't just stay in Magnimar and work with Cilva.

The people he saw about avoided him, or ignored him. A few stared at him, which bothered Ialla, but they weren't the dangerous. The truly dangerous ones were the ones Ialla didn't see. At one doorway, a woman stepped out towards him. He gave her a look, and she shrank back into the doorway, like a withering plant. He finally wound his way near one of the pillars of the bridge, where the buildings seemed to be a random collection of stacked boxes. He walked up several ramps till he reached a sort of balcony, with a railing no one would feel safe leaning on. There was a young man leaning against the wall near the door.

"Why, 'ello sir. You come to see the creepy detective aye?"

"Why yes, I did. And what are you waiting here for?"

"Well, my boss, 'e was just talking to her."

"I see. I'll have to reprimand Cilva for keeping such unpleasant company." The man laughed, revealing his front teeth were missing. And then the door opened, and another unpleasant looking man came out, and looked at the man resting by the door. The two walked down the ramp and into the darkness. Ialla looked after them and shook his head.

He then stepped into Cilva's apartment. It was a crowded room, with a cluttered desk, and several chairs, which were actually rather sturdy, but certainly didn't look nice. A magical stone hung from the center of the ceiling, providing some dim light with its arcane glow. Further back was a workbench, with a variety of glass containers and other paraphernalia, which did not seem organized in the least.

"So, I see you socialize with the Sczarni now." He stepped in and leaned against the desk. Cilva was sitting behind the desk, running her fingers through her brown hair. She looked up at him and rolled her eyes.

"I needed information. Sometimes, you have to work with unpleasant people to get jobs done."

"Certainly something I understand," sighed Ialla. He reached into his coat and pulled out the strange metal cylinder he had taken off the assassin. "Do you recognize this?" Cilva looked up from the notebook she was writing in, and her eyes widened.

"I do. It's an alchemical blade. Usually poisoned. Where did you get it?"  
"Assassins at the party."

"Wait, what? You better sit down and explain what happened to day," Cilva answered in a firmer voice than she intended.

"Of course mother." Ialla sat down in a nearby chair. Cilva walked around to the other side of the desk, and sat down on it, facing Ialla. The summoner briefly explained the events of the party, with Cilva taking careful notes. When he had finished, she placed the journal and pen into her bag, along with the alchemical blade.

"Let's go. We have some warehouses to investigate. And investigating is what I do best." She grabbed her cane from behind the desk, and headed out the door. Ialla stood up and followed her. She hurried down the haphazard maze of buildings, and out of Underbridge. The collapsing and decrepit buildings rapidly gave way to more magnificent structures, fitting of a city of monuments.

They headed into the Capital District, into the neighborhood of Bridgeward, a higher class industrial area, with businesses of all types, most notably the famous Golemworks. The streets were mostly empty, besides a few of the city watch, which the pair avoided, and a few laborers, which they ignored. The buildings were all larger, with chimneys and other temporary structures on the roofs, and fenced-in yards full of crates and materials of all sorts.

"So, Lord Cambert's warehousesare here," observed Ialla.

"Yes, for what we are looking for at least. He does use some by the docks, but this is where the good stuff is."

"So, what sort of fun things do you have in that bag of yours?"

"Oh, several volatile concoctions. Including a new one I am eager to try." Cilva suddenly stopped for a moment. "I think we have company." And then a loud cry broke the silence, and a half-orc charged out, ax raised above his head.

"It would appear so." Ialla said, neatly sidestepping out of the way of the charge. And then an arrow flew out, and clattered onto the stone street beyond. Ialla stepped back and fired a glob of acid in the direction of the arrow. The half-orc charged at Cilva, who raised her cane, and partially withdrew the sword, blocking the ax with the blade. Cilva took a swing back, but missed. The half-orc retaliated, and managed to catch Cilva with a glancing blow. She staggered back, but resumed a defensive position, sword-cane in one hand, sheath in the other.

The half-orc raised his ax to attack again, but was interrupted. "In the name of Ashava, I sicken you!" A figure in mostly black, but with broad silver accents, including the entire underside of his cape, and a broad belt, stood on another roof, right on the peak. He pointed down at the half-orc, and a black crackling ray of arcane magic shot out from his figure and nailed the attacker.

The half-orc lurched over, gagging. His last meal shot from his throat and splattered on the cobblestones. The newcomer descended to the street with a series of jumps and rolls, landing with uncommon grace. He stood up, and drew a rapier from his belt.

"Prince Somal, protector of the people of Bridgeward, and of Magnimar, servant of Ashava, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance." He gave Cilva an over-dramatic bow. He then turned the half-orc. "I suggest you surrender, and face justice. It was foolish of you to attack one of this cities protectors, even if she aides from the shadows." Cila wasn't sure what to make of that, but the half-orc did. He pulled himself to his feet, and charged at Prince Somal.

It was a terrible mistake. Not only did the ac swing wide, but he slipped in his own dinner, and slid forward, right into Prince Somal's rapier. Prince Somal removed his rapier and pushed the assailant to the ground. He reached into his belt and pulled out a plain white handkerchief, and proceeded

to wipe the blade.

While this was going on, Ialla was dealing with the archer. He had taken cover as soon as he had fired back by hugging the side of the nearby building. He closed his eyes for a moment, and then opened them and smiled. There was a cry of pain and surprise, and then a something crashed into the awning above him, and then dropped into the street below. A bow with a snapped spring followed.

Arrows had scattered from the quiver on the archer's back all around the area. A hood that concealed the assailant's face had fallen away, revealing a humanoid female, with very pale skin, nearly translucent, and features devoid of all colors. A kayal, a half-human, half-shadow being, common in Dae's home of the Shadow Plane, but not as much here in Magnimar. She was moaning quietly.

Ialla approached carefully, his spiked gauntlet raised. As he stepped forward, she suddenly moved and tried to get up. Ialla struck out his gauntlet, bu she ducked back, but it caused her to fall back to the ground. She tried to grab a knife from her belt, but Ialla's boot crashed down on her food. He pulled his crossbow out, and pointed it at the kayal.

"Who sent you? Cooperating will be far less painful."

"I won't tell you so easily," she answered defiantly, still trying to free her hand.

"Lucky for you, I don't have time for the long way. And I'm pretty sure I already know." And he squeezed the trigger on the crossbow. She crumpled back to the street, the life draining quickly away. "One of us should really learn how to stabilize." Ialla turned and walked over, just as Prince Somal finished the half-orc off.

"Ialla, you got the archer?" asked Cilva.

"Yes...a kayal, oddly enough. Though, certainly not impossible. We must be on the right track. And who are you exactly?" Ialla asked the newcomer, giving him a once over, and ending a bit perplexed.

"Did you have to ask him?" sighed Cilva, just before he launched into his introduction. After his introduction, he continued.

"Well, I have other business to attend to, and citizens to save. Goodbye." He waved his hands, and with a sparkle of arcane energy, a mass of fog enveloped him. When it cleared, he was of course long gone.

"So, I haven't been around for awhile...when did this start?"

"I'm not sure, a few months ago maybe...I have heard of him. He is mostly known in the Bridgeward District, taking out low level thugs, saving the odd laborer and servant. Haven't met him till now."

"Apparently, he was accompanied by a creature of some kind, radiating Celestial energy."

"How did you know...oh, right." Cilva slid her sword back into the cane. "Let's go before the watch wanders upon us. The warehouse belonging to Lord Cambert is only a few more blocks along." Ialla reloaded his crossbow, and slid it onto his back. Perhaps it was a risk to keep it loaded, but it had a good safety, and being caught without it loaded was more dangerous. The two slipped into a nearby alley, cape's fluttering behind them.

In short order, the two arrived outside the warehouse in question without further incident. It was a stone building with a wooden roof and beams, and a rather plain look. There did not seem to be any way to see inside, as all the windows were blocked in some way. Ialla noticed one window had crates and barrels stacked in front of it. There were boards over the outside of another.

"So, do we knock then?" asked Ialla.

"You are out of this game." Cilva stepped up towards the door of the warehouse. "Let the expert handle this."

"You always were better at gaining illicit entrances."

"Don't make it sound so awkward." Cilva pulled out some tools and began tinkering with the lock.

"Pardon me, but I need to check on something." Ialla began walking away towards a nearby ally. The sound of commotion echoed from the ally as Ialla approached. As he stepped into the mouth of the ally, something crashed into him, and sent him sprawling to the ground. His crossbow went off, sending a bolt flying across the empty roads, and sending it into a wall.

The armored figure began struggling to her feet, the armor hindering her. A blonde braid slapped across Ialla's face. It might have been funny, but it kind of hurt. She managed to get partially to her feet, when Ialla struck out, sending her crashing to the ground next to him. He got to his feet, and was joined by a massive figure, who seemed to meld with the darkness, except for its glowing eyes.

"Paladin, we meet again. Have you recovered from your wound earlier today?" The woman looked up with venom in her eyes. She then glanced around nervously, but her sword was gone.

"I knew you couldn't be trusted."

"Oh? And on what do you base that on?"

"The honest do not sneak about, leaving bodies in their wake." Ialla looked at Shadow, and asked him what happened in Abyssal.

"She was following you, but only after the earlier attack. She found the bodies, but didn't see who did it. That is an assumption on her part."

"Yes, but an accurate one." Ialla and Shadow continued in Abyssal.

"You even speak in the language of the abyss," the Paladin said, struggling up to a sitting position. "Kill me now, or I will fulfill my duty to protect Lord Cambert and stop you."

"This is Dae, my eidolon, and you already know me. And I assure you, protecting Lord Cambert is not the righteous thing."

"The Silanus family is hardly above reproach, and I judge each by their own actions, not their heritage."

"And your name is?"

"Aeitia Dalca, Paladin of Iomadae...I don't trust Lord Cambert, but I also do my duty. If I find evidence of his misdeeds, I will do what I must."

"Well, come with us, and we will find evidence of his misdeeds together." Ialla held out his un-gauntleted hand to the paladin. "You may not agree with all my or my allies methods, but to protect the innocent from the forces of evil and chaos, you need people like me." Aeitia looked a little hesitant, but reluctantly took his hand. Ialla began to pull, but quickly realized this was going to be far from graceful. Shadow reached forward and grabbed her other arm, helping the paladin to her feet. She seemed a little nervous, but couldn't really resist.

"You must not get along with inquisitors." Shadow observed.

"So you can speak Common..." Aeitia brushed herself off. "Can I reclaim my sword, which you so violently knocked away?"

"Well, know that we are all working together, I guess you could. I thought you could just go into battle with your sense of righteousness and razor sharp wit," Shadow answered.

"Keep you summons under control." Aeitia walked over and retrieved her sword.

"You certainly know how to pick allies Ialla," Shadow said aloud, clearly to be purposely overheard. Ialla rolled his eyes, and turned back towards the warehouse. He stepped up behind Cilva, just as she cracked the lock. The heavy lock unclicked, and the dhampir deftly removed the lock, and then looked back over her shoulder.

"So, what did Shadow find?"

"A new ally. I met her at the party, may have saved her life, and she threw up, and then ran away."

"Well...sounds pretty normal." Cilva stood up and turned to face the newcomers. One had a rather unpleasant expression, and a surly attitude, and the other was Shadow. Aeitia was slightly taller than Cilva, perhaps even a bit taller than Ialla. "She seems happy to be here. I normally avoid paladins, though some are aware of my work, and understand its usefulness. The younger paladins aren't as judicious."

"I'm giving you a chance, as I find Lord Cambert suspicious myself. But you are a criminal, just like that insane Prince Somal, and some others."

"I'm not a criminal. I am a hired investigator." Cilva turned back to the massive door. "Shadow, help me open this door, as stealthily as possible." The massive eidolon stepped towards the door, and helped Cilva slowly open the door.

"Hired by other criminals, and corrupt aristocrats," Aeitia shot back.

"Quiet, we are trying to be stealthy," Ialla said. "And I assure you, neither of us has any love for corrupt aristocrats." Aeitia shrugged, but stepped back.

"I'll let the stealthy of you go in first then," she replied more quietly. Ialla nodded, and he and Cilva slipped through the partially open door. Inside, it looked like a rather typical warehouse. There were crates everywhere, and the inside had multiple levels, with wooden ramps running here and there, and several raised platforms formed of massive wooden beams and logs. A few mechanical elevators, and a large crane also filled the space, making the large building still seem rather crowded.

Opening the door didn't make the room very light, but there were several lanterns, magical in origin, around the walls, bathing the room in dim light. Cilva and Ialla slipped with trained precision behind a stack of crates, nearly silently, and scanned the room. Cilva easily scanned much of the darkened room, but didn't see anything nearby. Ialla could see well enough with the lanterns. But the thing which drew their immediate attention as a figure in dark armor pacing about the center of the warehouse, on a raised area in the center, which still had a few crates resting on it.

The figure turned towards the door, and immediately went on the alert. It pulled something from its belt, and began making his way towards the door, with a great degree of caution. As it got closer, Cilva saw its face more clearly. With no lanterns near the center platform, Ialla could not make out its features easily, but could see the figure well enough. Cilva saw the grey skin, and red eyes, and a few wisps of white hair. Cilva leaned over to her companion.

"Its a drow...what is one of them doing here?" Cilva turned away and looked back at the drow. "Can you tell what it is armed with?" Before Ialla could answer, there was a loud bark, and the pattering of heavy paws. Ialla spun around to see a slavering dog heading right for him, running down the side of the building. And then the drow turned towards the sound, spotting Cilva and Ialla getting to their feet. There was a loud thundering noise, and something smashed into the crate in front of them, sending wooden splinters in every direction.


	5. Chapter 5

Despite the charging dog, both Ialla and Cilva dropped back behind the crates. "What was that!" hissed Cilva, urgency and panic in her voice.

"I'm not exactly sure, but I have seen it before. When it hits, it can be devastating, especially against skeletons." And then Ialla turned and cast a spell at the oncoming dog, and it stopped in its tracks, and stared dumbly at them. At that time, the door flew open and Aeitia rushed in. Shadow sent a message Ialla psychically.

"Sorry, she rushed in. Was that one of those strange weapons that nutty guy in the blacksmith shop uses?"

"It appears to be, though smaller." As this conversation was happening inside the mind, the drow spun and fired a second weapon it had drawn, which punched right through the paladin's shield and then bounced off her breastplate. She staggered back, unharmed, but startled by the strange weapon. The battle began to descend into confusion after this.

Ialla ordered Shadow to take out the dog he had stunned. Cilva reached into her bag and drained a strange vial. Her arms and legs began to thicken as she began to bulk up. At basically the same time, Ialla reached forward and placed his hand on Cilva's shoulder, and arcane energy flowed into her.

"Hopefully this helps."

"Thanks. Time to end this." Cilva pulled out her cane sword, and charged towards the drow. As this was happening, two more dogs charged out and attacked the first thing that was easy to spot and not terrifying. Which was the young woman with radiant blond hair and polished armor. One crashed right into the shield with enough force to drive her against the wall, while the other sank its teeth into her sword arm. At this time, there was a yelp of canine pain, and then silence, as Shadow killed the other guard dog. Fortunately, or unfortunately, avatars of justice from the Shadow plane do not find dogs cute, especially surly guard dogs.

Cilva scrabbled towards the drow, who was struggling to reload his strange weapons. The many crates and levels, which provided cover, also made it difficult to close in. She charged in just as he raised one of his weapons and activated it. There was a click, but no loud boom. A look of worry crossed his face, and then Cilva swung her sword with fury, and missed, the blade digging into the wooden floor, sending splinters upward.

The drow swung his pistol, and the heavy barrel slammed into Cilva's shoulder, and she winced in pain. The drow tossed the pistol aside, and picked up his second from nearby crate. Cilva stepped back and pulled a vial from her bag.

"You should never have left the Darklands." Cilva drained the vial, and swallowed nervously. Some black liquid seeped from the corners of her mouth, and the the drow realized it wasn't liquid as she opened her mouth. They were legs, and more legs appeared in her mouth, lots of legs. And then she opened her mouth fully and wretched, and a writhing mass of arachnids poured out of her mouth, like a black waterfall. The swarm poured in mass over the drow as he fired. The round slammed into Cilva's gut, and she staggered back, reaching out for a crate to steady herself.

The swarm of spiders engulfed the drow, and he staggered back, desperately trying to get the creatures off, as they slithered under his armor, and dozens of pricks of pain riddled his body. In the meantime, Aeitia managed to knock one of the dogs away with her shield, which allowed Ialla to take a shot, which went wide. The dog turned and growled at Ialla, and then charged the half-elf, bowling him over. Ialla gasped in pain as the dog's teeth sank into his arm. He struck out, nailing the dog with his gauntlet. It yelped and rolled off to the side, at which point Shadow stepped forward and struck it with his claw, ending the threat.

Ialla stood to his feet and looked over at the paladin. Aeitia stood to her feet, a bloody sword in her hands, some blood splattered across her face. She did not look pleasant. "I just had to impale a dog...I like dogs, under normal conditions."

"I would expect nothing less." Ialla and Shadow turned towards the platform, and saw the drow staggering back, with something swarming all over him. He headed out of site, probably down a ramp. Cilva was struggling to stand up, leaning against a crate. The two hurried over, and the clanking behind them indicated that the paladin was behind them.

Ialla stepped up and grabbed the dhampir, helping her to her feet. "Are you alright?" Cilva nodded, but her face looked rather pained.

"You look like death." Shadow growled. She looked at the Eidolon and rolled her eyes.

"Leave the humor to your betters Dae," the dhampir shot back. She looked over at Ialla. "Just give me a second. You need to get that drow with those really loud weapons." Aeitia hurried up beside them,and leaned her sword against a crate, and began reaching for Cilva.

"Don't do that!" Ialla jumped forward and grabbed her arm. "You paladins are good at making things worse." Aeitia looked a little annoyed, and then gasped and pulled her hand back.

"I'm sorry...I'm sorry...It was just instinct." Aeitia grabbed her sword. "Thanks for stopping me."

"No problem. Now, I think you will agree something is going on."

"Indeed, with a drow..." Aietia stopped when Ialla and Shadow both turned in unison as the drow reappeared, pistols in hand. Aeitia stood in front of the injured Cilva, blade in hand. Two bolts, one from Ialla, and the other from Cilva, sank into the drow's chest, but that didn't prevent him from sending a round into Shadow, who gasped in pain as the metal slug slammed into his natural armored plating. Ialla dropped his crossbow and began an incantation. Strange arcane energy surrounded Shadow, armor made of pure magic.

"What is this intrusion!" a voiced nearly boomed out. A figure in robes stood across the room, standing on one of the elevator platforms. "This is unacceptable." He began moving his arms in a familiar manner, but Ialla wasn't watching, not that it would have mattered. Three glowing projectiles shot from the robed figures hands and slammed into Aeitia, sending her staggering back.

"You...necromancer. I can sense your stench. In the name of IOMADAE I SMITE YOUUUUUU..." she yelled, charging towards the sorcerer, shield raised. The sorcerer just laughed, and cast another spell. A green hand, conjured in front of him, and headed out across the empty air, trailing spectral energy, and pulled a wooden lever along the wall of the warehouse, and the platform he was on began to rise.

Aetia stopped for a moment, and glanced around, trying to find a way up, golden energy glowing about her. Cilva reached her hand into her bag, and pulled out a vial and drained it. Magical energy coursed through her, and she raised hand crossbow and fired. The bolt shot through the air and embedded itself in the rope attached to the counter-weight, and it began unraveling, send the platform back towards the ground.

It hadn't had much chance to rise, so the platform fell back to the ground, temporarily knocking the sorcerer off balance. It still landed on a level above Aeitia, so he had plenty of time to recover as the paladin made her way up a wooden ramp towards the sorcerer. He pulled out a wand and activated it, sending a bolt of dark energy into the paladin. Aeitia yelped in pain and staggered back, her flesh twisting and tearing apart under her armor. She doggedly pressed on, and managed to clamber onto the platform. The sorcerer was standing there, waiting with a smirk on his face. Aeitia could now see he was a human, with the touch of death about him, though not fully undead.

"I am going to enjoy killing you, especially like this." Dark energy whirled about his free hand, and he opened his mouth a bit more, revealing rotting teeth. And then the two charged towards each other. Aeitia's sword bit into the railing along one side of the platform, biting deep into the wood, golden energy exploding off the blade. The sorcerer only had to reach out and push the palm of his hand against her breastplate, and dark energy coursed through her. Despite her complete lack of fear, and the righteous fury coursing through her, she began to shake uncontrollably ad stagger back.

While this was going on, Ialla and Shadow were having there own fun. Shadow, despite the hit, managed to close in, and assault the drow. His weapons worked best at close range, but once Shadow got his claws on him, he was in trouble. The drow managed to fire his other pistol, and land another hit on Shadow, who was noticeably harmed by the attack. But that didn't prevent the Eidolon from raking the drow with his claws.

Drow, as a race, are cruel and evil. Though it may not be genetic, their society breeds evil, and the number of drow who managed to break free live their brief hunted lives with understandable prejudice. Dark gods have their tendrils wrapped about the courses of all of the races of the Darklands. But for this drow, he was quite terrified in his last moments. Shadow stepped up, and stared at the drow, the two pairs of red eyes locked. A blow from a pistol bounced off his magical armor, and then Shadow smiled. His jaw began to expand, revealing a maw of teeth, and the drow gasped in terror, and then it was over.

During this time, Ialla was hurriedly deciding who to help. He retrieved his crossbow and loaded it. He was planning in heading over to help Aeitia, as Shadow seemed to have the gunslinger well in hand. But then something cold and slimy grabbed his arm, and he heard a tell-tale groan. "Ah, Cilva, we never got around to trying to detect undead."

Ialla dropped his crossbow, and then punched the zombie in the face. It staggered back, but didn't seem very affected. He dodged a couple wild swipes, and landed another blow, cracking a rib, and ripping out some rotting flesh. He stepped back, and around a crate, and fired a gob of acid, nailing the zombie in the face.

"Didn't do much to approve your appearance did it?" And then he heard another groan, and backed away, spotting another zombie approaching from behind. Shadow was returning from taking out the drow when two more zombies charged at him. Their flailing claws glanced off his armored hide and magical defenses. His slashing claws raked into the zombies, crackling with arcane energy, causing the undead flesh to melt as they tore through.

"Stand back you foul undead, in the name of Ashava." With a series of gracefull flips, Prince Somal dropped down from above and landed on a nearby stack of crates. He hurled a dagger, formed of ice with trails of frost trailing off it, and it embedded itself in one of the zombie's heads. And then he pulled out a sling, and let a rock fly, sending the slug crashing into the other creatures head, which exploded. "So, we meet again good sir. To think that foul undead hid among us, in our very warehouses."

"Yes, to think that," Ialla said, rolling his eyes. Despite his rather annoying persona, Prince Somal was a skilled fighter at least, whoever he was. Both of them nailed the other zombie with acid, and Ialla finished it off with a solid blow of his gauntlet. And then a couple more zombies burst forth. Shadow headed over to help them, and it was clear that it wouldn't be hard for the three to finish these remaining undead off. And then an inhuman cry spread across the warehouse.

Back on the platform, Aeitia was struggling to pull herself together. She stepped back, barely able to keep her sword and shield up. The sorcerer was enjoying himself, but wasn't exploiting his opening very quickly. She reached down and placed her shield hand on her sword arm, and golden energy flowed out, and she stopped shaking. "I'm putting you in the ground sorcerer."

"Are you?" He fired a blast from his wand, and the dark energy slammed into her, and pain shot through her. She saw her own blood seep from under her armor. She charged at him, and this time, she landed the blow, slashing him across his chest, golden energy rippling through him. And then he raised his arm, lightning crackling around his hand, and he brought it down on her shoulder. Electrical energy rippled through Aetitia, and she staggered back, off of the platform, and attempted to walk down the ramp, but her body failed her, and she lost her balance.

The sorcerer dropped down to the slightly lower level where the paladin had managed to remain on her feet, but probably twisted her ankle. Pain shot through it as she stood to he feet. He raised his wand, and Aeitia raised her sword. She wasn't sure she would even be able to take a step. She felt pain pulsing through her entire body. The sorcerer smiled, and raised his wand. And then Cilva stepped up, her sword raised. The blast of energy slammed into her, the dark energy rippled around her body.

"You'll have to do better than that sorcerer. I know who you are. I wonder how Lord Cambert treats those who fail him," taunted Cilva. The sorcerer's face began twist into a rage, and he activated his wand again, and another bolt of dark energy. "Thank you."

Cilva opened her mouth, and the sorcerer saw her enlarged incisors, and realized his mistake. She charged into him, her sword running him through. In the rush of the moment, she sank her teeth into him, but the only thing it drained was the blood from the sorcerer's face. Both of them fell to the lowest level of the warehouse, only about 5 feet down. It was a dirt floor, covered with a thin layer of hay. Cilva struggled to her feet and withdrew her sword from the body and floor beneath. She slowly wiped the blood and dirt from her sword, and slammed it into her cane, and then wiped the blood from her mouth. The sorcerer just lay therer, still and motionless.

"If we want to take him alive, I would suggest coming down here and healing him a bit," she called up to Aeitia. The paladin dropped down and walked over, and then pulled a potion from the sorcerers belt and poured it into his mouth. He remained motionless, but Cilva could here his shallow breathing. "I probably should have thought of that. The mutagen to increase my strength has affected my mental properties."

"Alchemists..." Aeitia smiled a bit. "Thanks for taking those blasts. Though you clearly benefited from it."

"It is hard to get healing for people like me. Usually I just pick a fight with a cleric." Aeita laughed a little, but suddenly stopped as two zombies charged down the narrow pathway between raised platforms. She turned to face them, with a surge of fresh eagerness. Cilva heard a noise behind her, and turned to see another zombie ambling out of the dark.

Ialla, Shadow, and Prince Somal had a problem of their own. The inhuman cry was from a strange creature, a skeletal figure in tight leather armor, with slime dripping from it. It had a skeletal horned had, and wicked claws.

"A creature from the abyss...what evil is hidden within our city."

"Yes, and I'm afraid most of our spells will be useless against it." Ialla turned to Shadow. "Your attacks should be able to get through. We can handle the zombies." Shadow nodded, but before he could do anything, the creature teleported to right in front of him. The demon swung a horrid claw, which glanced off Shadow, but the second claw found purchase. Shadow struck back, landing two solid blows. The demon backed off a bit, but Ialla could feel Shadow was badly injured.

"The creature's slime is burning me," Shadow telepathically messaged. Ialla punched the last zombie, and it crumpled to the floor.

"Allow me." Prince Somal raised his arms and a mist whirled about them. The three stepped back into it, and used it to move behind some crates. Ialla quickly rejuvenated Shadow, who had taken quite a beating. The demon burst through the fog and slammed swiped at them, but they only ripped into crates. Prince Somal stepped back, a looked of fear flashing across his partially masked face. Ialla began to wonder if they should perhaps just flee, and hope the demon wouldn't follow.

And there was a shattering of glass on the floor beyond the demon. A creature like a lion burst forth, and hurled spikes at the creature. It unfurled its wings and swooped down on the demon, who despite being smaller, struck back with equal fury. The two creatures slammed together, biting and clawing, and actually toppled off the raised center, slamming through several crates filled with grain. The sight of a manticore and a demon fighting tooth in nail, rolling about in a pile of grain might have been humorous, if it wasn't so deadly.

A figure stepped up to the group, her dark hair pulled back. She was wearing a rather plain robe, but very expensive, and leather armor beneath. "Well, I see you've gotten in over your head again son."

"Mother...Why are you here?"

"An anonymous note was shoved under the door." She reached down and pulled out her sword, which looked old, and glowed with some arcane energy. She leaned in so only Ialla could hear. "Acron, remember the Silanus motto."

"Let them hate so long as they pay?"

"Very funny." She smiled a bit, and then began to walk away. "A Silanus never fights alone." And then she drained a potion and charged towards fight. The demon managed to shove the manticore away and stand to its feet. The manticore looked like it got the worst end of the deal. A couple daggers flew from one of the upper catwalks and sank into the demon's shoulder, and immediately began to dissolve.

Camylla charged in and delivered a powerful swing, which bit deep. The blade moved so quickly that the acidic slime didn't have time melt the blade. The demon cried in pain and teleported up to a raised platform. The manticore hurled spikes, but they didn't seem to do much damage. And then the demon gasped in pain as Myra slid up from behind and slashed the demon from behind. For the next several moments, the battle continued, but in the end, the demon was banished. The small party gathered near the door, just as the guard came charging up, no doubt drawn in from the rather odd collection of noises echoing from within. In all the chaos, Prince Somal disappeared. And for those who were really paying attention, which only perhaps Myra was, would notice that he was joined by a monkey, glittering with celestial power.

Ialla was standing in the middle of his family home's sitting room, holding a piece of paper in his hand. The door opened, but Ialla didn't turn. He didn't need to, as he recognized the quiet footsteps. "Your mother certainly wields a Demonbane longsword with some skill. And I thought she was a alchemist."

"She dabbles a bit. You should ask her for some formulas."

"Maybe I will. I wasn't really that close to your family, but now that she's an employer..."

"Yes, we are a great bunch. And were your employers happy with your performance?"

"Well, it isn't really over yet. The sorcerer, which was captured alive, was a high ranking member of Lord Cambert's organization, took the fall for the whole thing. Lord Cambert is a master of weaseling out of things. But we will get him yet."

"And what exactly was his plan?"

"I'm not entirely sure, but he was definitely involved with experimenting with undead and summoning. I'm guessing there was a greater purpose, but that will take more investigation." Ialla hadn't been looking at Cilva, but e didn't need to to tell she was smiling.

"You are certainly excited about that." Ialla looked up from the piece of paper and looked at Cilva. "Unfortunately, I have to leave."

"That is too bad." Cilva seemed a bit more serious. "It really was more enjoyable with you and Dae around, and not just as distractions and muscles." Ialla laughed a bit.

"I have a quest to get back too."

"Is that what the letter is for?"

"No, here is no way for my party to get a letter to me at this time. It is from my sister. Perhaps, someday, I will return Magnimar more permanently, but for now, my place lies elsewhere."

"I understand. I am used to be lonely, but it was nice to have a partner."

"Maybe you can work with that Prince Somal. I have a hunch he was the one who alerted my mother."

"He probably was, no matter who he really is, but I don't think my blood pressure could handle that, and yes, I actually have blood pressure."

"Well, to be honest, I think my family would be glad to have you around, especially if you ask my mother about alchemy. At least the ones in this house. And you have my permission to pester and mock Sebastian in my absence."

"Well, thank you. Though I'm sure they have ulterior motives for having me around. Well the sun is rising soon, and I have to get back to my office. I'll let you get back to your goblins and ancient ruins."

"Good bye Cilva. It was very good to see you again." Cilva nodded, and slipped out the door. Ialla could almost feel Shadow making some smart remark breaking an undead girl's heart. Ialla picked up the letter and began to read.

"_Dear brother Acron, I just wanted to let you know I am alright. Mother said she would give you any letter I sent when you returned home, as I had no idea where you might be. Don't worry too much about me. I can feel my birth mother's call, if you can call her a mother, but I refuse to bend to it. Flametooth certainly helps with that. I have joined with some odd adventurers, as most are, to do some tomb diving. I am thinking about joining the Pathfinders perhaps. I hope to see you again, Dae as well. Oh, and I can still beat you at arm wrestling. Your dear sister, Kyrie Silanus._"

As soon as he had finished reading, he set the letter down on a nearby table, when he felt an odd pull. He let out a sigh. "I guess I have to go. Being a summoner has its drawbacks." A strange portal, through which one could see a land drained of color, wreathed in darkness and shadow, opened behind him. Ialla just sighed and dropped back into it. No doubt he would end up back at Thistletop, eventually.


End file.
